Dress-form.



G. L. HORTON.

DRESS FORM.

APPLICATION 211.21) MAR. 29, 1909.

972,376, Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

CA'IHRINE L. HORTON, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

DRESS-FORM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CATHRINE L. HOR- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Dress-Form, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of dress forms in which the skirt form and the waist form are independent members capable of being used either separately or together.

My objects are, first, to provide improved means for detachably connecting a skirt form and a waist form in such a manner that the latter may readily and easily be tilted to any desired position and there securely held and maintained.

A further object is to provide a waist form with detachable arm members, the means for connecting the arm members with the waist member being'so arranged that, after the arm members are made in the proper shape, the attaching devices may be connected with the arm members and with the waist member, with a thread and needle, in such a manner as to form joints of strong and durable construction and of finished appearance in which the edges of the cloth for covering the arm members and the waist member are concealed and protected.

My invention consists in the construct-ion, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a skirt and waist member connected together by means of my improved connecting device,

and also showing one of the detachable arm.

plates connected with the waist member. Fig. 2 shows a detail View illustrating one of the devices for detachably and adjustably connecting the skirt form with the waist form. Fig. 3 shows a detail, sectional view illustrating the means for connecting the chain of the fastening device with the waist form. Fig. 4 shows a detail perspective view of an arm member having one of the plates of the detachable fastening device applied thereto. Fig. 5 shows a sectional Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 29, 1909.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

Serial No. 486,364.

view of same. Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a portion of the waist member with my improved detachable arm fastening plate secured thereto, said view illustrating amodified form of same, andFig. 7 shows a perspective view of an arm member having a modified form of attaching device applied thereto. Fig. 8 shows a side elevation of the skirt form and a part of the standard for supporting it. The dotted lines in said figure show the lower portion of the waist form supported on the skirt form.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a standard upon which the skirt form is supported.

The skirt form proper is indicated by the numeral 11, and comprises a metal strip 12 around the lower portion thereof, and a metal strip 12 around the top thereof. The standard 10 is connected with the strip 12 by a bolt or rivet 12 The waist form is indicated by the numeral 18 and is preferably made in the or dinary manner of papier mach or similar material. These waist forms are ordinarily made without arms and are covered with a woven fabric or cloth. The lower end of the waist form is of a size and shape to fit over the upper portion of the skirt form as shown in Fig. 1. When the skirt form and waist form are intended to be used together, it is necessary that the waist form may be adjusted to difierent angles relative to the skirt form and after such adjustment that it be firmly held in its adjusted position.

In order to connect the skirt form and the waist form, I have provided a number of fastening devices, each of which comprises a hook 1 1 preferably made of wire with the hook formed in the central portion and its ends extended as shown in Fig. 2 so that they may be passed through the waist form and be bent outwardly on the exterior of the waist form, so that the hooks will be connected with the waist form and will project inwardly from it. Attached to the hook is a chain 15 and connected with the chain is a contractible coil spring 16 having a hook 17 at its lower end, the latter being designed to engage the part 12 of the skirt form. In use with this portion of the deit is tilted relative to the skirt form by 'sirable to have the arms made of stiff and woven fabric or cloth filled with a material arm member the plate 19 is a round head 20 with a narplate 18 is placed in the open end of the vice, the operator first places the waist form in proper position on the skirt form and then attaches the hooks 17 to the part 12, then the chain is pulled upwardly until the spring 16 is considerably extended and then the chain is attached to the adjacent hook 1 1. When the waist form is thus connected with the skirt form, the fastening devices will all be arranged on the interior of the form and will not in any way interfere with the fitting of dresses to the form. Furthermore, the waist form will be securely held in any position in which it may be placed relative to the skirt form.

As will be readily seen from the drawings, the curvature of the upper portion of the skirt form is considerably greater than that of the lower portion of the interior of the waist form so that the waist form may be tilted slightly relative to the skirt form and it may be secured in any position in which means of said fastening devices. In this way the inclination of the waist form relative to the skirt form may be made to conform to the natural position assumed by the person for whom the waist and skirt form is being adapted.

In order to detachably connect arms with the waist form, I have provided the following device: I have found that it is not deunyielding material such as papier mach, but that it is preferable to make them of a such as cotton. At the upper end of the I provide a flat metal plate or disk 18 having a series of perforations around its periphery and also a second flat metal plate 19 provided with perforations. Fixed in position at the central portion of row shank 21. In connecting this device with the arm I proceed as follows: First the arm and the edges of the fabric or cloth are folded overits outer surface, then the second plate 19 is placed adjacent to the first plate with the edges of the fabric or cloth between the plates. I then connect said parts by means of a row of stitches 22 which extend through both plates 18 and 19 and through the fabric or cloth as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. By means of this arrangement it is obvious that a dressmaker may readily, quickly and easily attach the plates 18 and 19 to an arm.

Connected with the waist form is a plate 23 having an opening therein comprising a rounded upper portion 24: and a narrow slot 25, therounded upper portion being of a size and shape to receive the head 20 and the slot 25 being of a size to receive the shank 21. In connecting the arm member to the waist member, the head 20 is inserted through the rounded opening 241- and then the arm is moved downwardly until the shank 21 rests in the slot 25. In this manner, the arm may be readily, quickly and easily attached to, or detached from the waist member, and furthermore, the arm member may be freely rotated for convenience in fitting waists and sleeves to the form.

In Figs. 6 and 7, I have illustrated a modified form of connecting device for the arm which comprises a plate 26 connected to the waist form by means of stitches, said plate having at its central portion a disk 27 slightly spaced apart from the plate. The arm member is provided with a plate 28 similar to the plate 19 and connected to the arm in the same manner and on the outer face of the plate 28 are three projections 29 extended first outwardly at right-angles to the plate and then inwardly toward the center of the plate. In connecting the arm with the waist form, the plate 28 is placed in position adjacent to the plate 26 with the projections 29 above the disk 27, then the arm is moved downwardly until the projections 29 enter between the plate 26 and the disk 27, whereupon the arm is firmly sup ported upon the waist form and yet it may be freely rotated relative thereto.

' I claim as my invention.

1. A device of the class described, comprising a skirt form shaped to receive and support a skirt, a waist form having its lower end shaped toreceive the upper end of the skirt form, said parts being so arranged that the waist form may be tilted to various angles relative to the skirt form, and a series of adjustable, yielding, fastening devices each comprising a hook attached to the waist form, a chain adjustably c011- nected to said hook, and a spring attached to the chain and having means at its lower end to engage the skirt form, said parts being so arranged that the springs will yieldingly hold the waist form downwardly over the skirt form so that the waist form may be tilted to any desired angle relative to the skirt form and will be there held by -the adjustable, yielding, fastening devices,

for the purposes stated.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a waist form, a plate connected therewith, and provided with a rounded opening, and a slot at the bottom thereof, an arm form having a fabric or cloth cover, a plate inserted in the upper end of the arm form and having a row of perforations therein, a second plate having a row of perforations therein, placed adjacent to the first plate with the edges of the fabric or cloth arranged between said plates, shank being designed to enter said slot for a row of stitches extended through both the purposes stated. plates and through the fabric or cloth, and Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 9, 1908.

a head fixed to the second plate and pro- CATHRINE L. HORTON. 5 vided with a narrow shank, said head being Witnesses:

designed for insertion in the opening in the RALPH ORWIG,

plate on the waist form, and said narrow MILDRED B. GOLDIZEN. 

